51 lex Records brings you the mother of all music catalogues featuring the best sounds from Nigeria,Ghana,Lagos and different areas of West Africa.
From super heavy afro Funk to Traditional Talking Drum not to mention the gems from the disco/soul/ reggae and gospel Archives.

Thursday, 15 July 2010

Hailing from Mitcham, South West London, I present to you Start Kid Aka Startzy.B, born Shunom Yusuf, an 18 year old emcee. With only two years experience on the scene, Start Kid is fast making groundwork, and is set to be one of South London’s most recognisable names by the end of this year.

Currently working on his sixth mix tape project entitled ‘Start’s Not Kiddin’, along with recently shooting his first video ‘In The Club’, Start Kid is no stranger to hard work; all the recording, mixing, editing and mastering is done by himself, that’s not all, Start Kid also own his own clothing line, a record label – CTM Records and has managed gain a strong local following which he hopes to develop further.

“I started off spitting to Grime for fun around the ends with local crews, because I had nothing else to do” says Start. Unfortunately like many London youths, Start Kid managed to get caught up in negativities on the street, and turned to music to save him from a worse situation. “It’s do or be done round here”

“Things started to get crazy on road, and I ended up in the middle of a serious court case, when you’re that close to losing your freedom, and get a another chance, you’re like “rah, I need to do something that gets me clean out of here, when you’re around here, you have very limited options, so I feel like I need to get away, have a fresh start, and the best way for me to do that is to use the talent that god gave me” recalls Start

“I’m trying to avoid a jail or death situation, so I can’t stop making music, any free time I have I’m writing lyrics and recording. I have ‘Start Kid – The Demo’, ‘All Aboard The Starter Train’, ’Hovis – Best of Both’, ‘Startamania 1&2’ and most recently ‘Start From Scratch’, which I managed to sell over 400 copies locally. The money goes straight back into music, so there’s no time for resting at all.”

Start Kid describes himself as the ‘fly guy’ and has a vision to unify the underground and the mainstream cultures, “I want to bring the underground sound to the overground but I need the credibility to do that first”

“The mainstream is very ignorant towards the underground and vice versa, and don’t really want to know each other... so I see that as my job, to bring them together. I’m from the ‘ghetto/hood’, but spend Monday to Friday in a mainstream and higher class institution; I see how both view things and therefore I try to make music that can appeal to both.

“Grime isn’t dead or dying is still very healthy a lot of grime artists are making different kinds of music but diversity isn’t a crime, you can still be a Grime emcee and not make a Grime track, as long as you represent the scene and what grime is all about. If you live a certain way of life that’s what you are. A Grime MC can make a Funky tune, but that don’t mean they weren’t brought up in environment that relates best to the grime scene, a lot of artists aren’t brave enough to do that... to step outside their comfort zone. It’s more of a culture than just a sound”

When it comes to achievements Start Kid has quite a few under his belt, he’s been booked at the UK’s largest street party - Notting Hill Carnival, performing at venues such as SEOne, and sharing line-ups with the likes of Kano, Ghettz, Tinchy Stryder, Double S & Marvell, Ironik

“I’m really optimistic about my music, but it takes work, I don’t expect to make millions, of course I want it, but I’m a realist as well, I appreciate what I have, whereas many people want so much without earning it first. Spitting and making tunes is the easy part. I’ve been offered a scholarship to study music and entertainment industry management at university, which is beneficial because I believe I need all the knowledge I can get to push my clothing line and label forward, I want to be able to support myself and know how to develop my product independently, I don’t want to find myself in a situation where I need something and can’t reach it, so I need to gain and utilize those skills I strongly believe you should trust few and rely on none, if I can do everything myself why ask somebody else?”

Start Kid understands that before you can run; you need to learn to walk and has developed a steady pace and is progressing nicely with his career. “Thank you everyone that has supported me so far and much love to those who continue to do so, I’m going to make a lot of noise this year so keep your open, even you want to close them I’ll be hard to miss…BELIEVE!”

Born Emmanuel Teteh Mensah, 31 May 1919, Accra, Ghana, d. 19 July 1996. Known throughout West Africa as "the King of Highlife", Mensah was the single greatest influence on the development of the style, in a career which stretched back to the mid-30s.

His father was a keen guitarist and encouraged his son to seek out formal musical training. At primary school, he studied fife and flute, and was a key player in the school's marching band, going on to serve his apprenticeship with the Accra Rhythmic Orchestra between 1936 and 1944, employed first as a roadie, then as a saxophonist.

In 1945, he joined the legendary Black And White Spots, before switching to the Tempos Band in 1947, succeeding Guy Warren as its leader a year later. The Tempos inaugurated a new era in Ghanaian highlife, downplaying the role of jazz-based reed and brass soloing, and expanding the traditional drum and percussion section to give more prominence to folk-based rhythm patterns.

At the same time, the band incorporated Afro-Cuban rumbas and cha chas into its repertoire. The resultant style became known as big band highlife. In 1952, the Tempos were signed to West African Decca Records and quickly established themselves as Ghana's top highlife band with a string of hit singles, including "Sunday Mirror", "School Girl", "Cherry Red" and "You Call Me Roko".

Mensah's reputation spread throughout West Africa. From the late 40s onwards, he regularly toured throughout the region, inspiring local bands who until then had played largely imported jazz or Latin music, and encouraging them to include a far greater proportion of roots rhythms and song structures in their output.

Alongside his stylistic innovations, Mensah did much to improve the lot of Ghanaian musicians in the 50s and early 60s - raising the wages of his sidemen to a level which permitted them to buy their own instruments (as opposed to the prevailing system of hiring them from the bandleader, to whom they were then effectively in a feudal relationship), and helping found the Ghana Musicians Union (at a time when royalty payments were practically unheard of).

Under his leadership, the Tempos also served as finishing school to a large number of talented musicians, who went on to form important highlife bands under their own names - notable examples include the Red Spots and the Rhythm Aces. In the late 60s, big band highlife began to be perceived as outmoded, and - despite the 1969 release of one of his greatest ever albums, The King Of African Highlife Rhythm - Mensah went on to spend much of the 70s and early 80s employed as a pharmacist.

Born in Shanty Town ire Nigeria, Africa, RAS KIMONO was bred in the Ghetto, as a youth, he experienced oppression, brutality, hardship and inequality of human race. This became a major influence on his philosophy as a man, highly detesting injustice, corruption, favoritism and discrimination. Ras Kimono considers himself as people's pride. Re propagates unity among mankind, irrespective of color, religion of geographical boundaries.

RAS KIMONO is Nigerian's number one REGGAE Artist. But his popularity in Africa transcends all genre boundaries, his message is. constructive and well embraced by the masses, young and old. He is a RASTAFARIAN, God fearing man, Vegetarian, Farmer and Fisherman. He is married with children.

About Me

Wyld Pytch Rekords has an established reputation as one top urban music outlet for over 15 years situated in the heart of London's Soho.
Wyld Pytch has been supplying the best in R&B, Hip Hop, Funk and, Breaks, Broken Beat, Brazilian, and merchandising, dj equipment and magazines to DJs and collectors and general public.
Situated in soho, Wyld Pytch have built their reputation on being helpful, friendly and way up front.